Once a Loner, Twice a Loser, Thrice the Winner

The General Story (First Part)

Once a Loner, Twice a Loser, Thrice the Winner

(The six-month challenge)

By: gerodmego

Okay, so maybe things didn’t go too well as planned. Some things were achieved, some were still out of reach. And tonight, I’m really waiting for a miracle. I’m betting on it. Let me pray for it. Dear God, please, let me have this one.

Sometimes, transition from one period to another gets difficult. And from a student to a professional is one of them. Sometimes, I just feel like sitting on a chair and listening to someone else, which I actually did a few times at work. I actually feel bad about not being enthusiastic with my work, considering it’s really something I want. But there are really factors that negate my impression and my interests. So, forgive me for my mediocre performance, that’ll be part of my new year’s resolution.

Anyway, back to six months ago or so. After graduation, I started preparing myself for the upcoming board exam on October 2013. My first 15 days were spent on mental and spiritual preparation. I built my own set of beliefs and I also reinforced my faith, as well as my confidence. Man, when you take the board exam, you’ve got to believe in yourself that you can do it and that you can achieve it. No doubting oneself. Okay, so maybe I did doubt myself a few times, but that’s normal. As days go by, as the exam comes nearer, you start to question yourself whether you’re ready, whether you’re really prepared to sit on the exam day. During the five months of review, you do things you don’t normally do. To me, it’s a one-time challenge: I will pass no matter what.

When you accept a challenge, you prepare for it, you do it, and you don’t accept a “NO” for an answer. It would be “YOU WIN”, “YOU ACHIEVE IT” or “YOU SUCCEED”. That’s all there is to it. A lot of success stories would tell you that when you do something, do it whole-heartedly. Never half-hearted, no full-blown doubts, no big worries. When you make sacrifices, make them full ones. And be sure to make them count. What I did? What I sacrificed? Not much really. Ever since college, I lived in boarding houses, dormitories and such. I would only go home during October sembreak, Christmas break, end of second semester break, and end of summer class break. During review, I didn’t go home, not once. I stayed in Manila for over five months. That’s a sacrifice alright. You budget your small allowance, since the family’s only an average. You don’t buy things you don’t seriously need. You do things on your own, you read books, you study a lot, and then, you review a whole lot more. And sometimes, you wait for your next allowance to get to you, even when you don’t have much already. You feel homesick, sometimes. You become real sick with fever and cold, and you have to take care of your own self. You cook your meals, you wash your own clothes, you keep your things tidy, you buy your essentials, you get your own medicines and you make sure you’re in good health. Me? I was sick for over a month, I caught a cold, I got an on-and-off fever during the first month of review. The room I go to at the review school was the coldest, they say. I guess it’s true. It’s so cold even though I’m already wearing a jacket. I’m not fond of cold places so I guess that’s the reason why I got sick. At the boarding house, the temperature would be normal so I feel better somehow. Then the next day, I would go back to the review school. That’s how it became an on-and-off fever. Whenever I catch a cold, it always lasts for three to four weeks. My thought that time was: Sure, let me have a cold now, as long as it won’t return until after the board exam. You’ve got to be sure that you’re in your best condition when the board exam comes. It’s not good to be sick on the actual exam days.  

During the review period, it’s important that you keep your character, your determination, your faith, and your confidence. Who you are on the first day of review should remain until the actual exam and while you’re waiting for the result. You should keep your goal in mind, envision your success, don’t entertain thoughts of failure, and don’t make plans of what you’ll do when you fail. If you really have to think of it, just tell yourself: If I fail, that’s fine. And that’s it. Don’t dwell on the thought of failure too much. If you wanted to console yourself, at least you say: If I didn’t pass, I’m conditioned. That was my thought anyway. I won’t accept a fail, period.

Confession time, it was originally my goal to top the October 2013 CPA Board Exam. I was doing alright during the first two months of review. First preboard came and my rank was #69. Taking into account the ties, there are actually 827 people ahead of me, and that was just in CPAR. But even so, I didn’t let go of my goal. The following months of review, I still exerted effort on the level of someone who wanted to top. By that time, I already knew that what I need is a miracle. Final preboard came, and we were kind of reluctant to get our grades and see our ranks. But when I did, my rank was #68. Improving, huh? This time the number of people ahead of me was about 600. If we get the percentage, I’m included in the top 20% of takers. Not bad, so you build your confidence again. Maybe topping was far away already, but passing is already within reach. It’s mine to claim. You claim your goal.

As for your faith, also make sure that the level of your faith remains the same or gets better, but seriously, don’t be a hypocrite. If during review, you only visit the church on Sundays, make sure you do it in a regular fashion. Me? I attended CPAR4JESUS every Friday, then I attended Sunday masses regularly. When the exam day gets nearer, at least attend your review school’s petition mass and your regular schedule. Don’t be a hypocrite that suddenly goes to church every day, every hour. That’s not strong faith at all, that’s called desperation.

My way, I have a Daily Bread Journal. I meditate every morning for at least 15 minutes, up to an hour or two. Then I pray every morning and at night. I love Jabez prayer. I talk to Him a few times at the roof of our boarding house. I look at the sky and look for stars. I’ve heard that in the city, like Manila, you can’t see stars. I was able to see a few during my stay in there and I’ve seen the most number of stars during the exam weeks. They’re seriously bright that time. It’s for this reason that I believe I will pass the board exam. I kept my faith intact. I didn’t let go. I did my part. I claimed my prize early on. It was June 23, 2013 when I wrote in my clipboard: Thank You, oh Lord, for today I know I am a CPA. Complete with my signature, of course. And loads of smiley faces.

A few stories to tell? Next time, folks. I’m sleepy now XD

Dear God, hear our prayers, be with us!

December 15, 2013

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